Rescuers recovered eight bodies of coal miners Sunday, but another 10 were still missing, four days after a coal mine gas blast in central China's Hunan Province.

Three bodies were pulled out of the mine at about 2 p.m. and another five were recovered at the township-owned Guaziyan colliery in Lianyuan City.

Rescuers said survival chances of the other 10 trapped were slim as a large part of the mine was still blocked and the gas density was high.

"We will continue to rescue and search for the trapped as long as there remains one percent of hope," said Fu Jianhua, deputy head of the State Administration of Coal Mine Safety.

Technicians and more than 50 rescuers are continuing to search for the missing around the clock. Before entering the seam, rescuers needed to reduce the gas density from three percent to one percent, he said.

Rescuers had cleared a 23-meter section of the mine seam as of 2:30 p.m. Sunday after more than 100 tons of coal were carried out. But another 700 tons were still blocking a 100-meter section, officials said.

The blast occurred at 3:15 p.m. Wednesday as 32 miners were working, with 14 managing to escape.

All coal mines in the city halted production for safety checks and an investigation into the cause of the accident was launched.

The Guaziyan colliery opened in 1997. It has a designed annual capacity of 30,000 tons but has sought to double the level.

(Xinhua News Agency December 22, 2008)